The fitness industry survives on serving up something new and interesting at all times. The fitness industry is a $100 billion business. Gyms, health clubs, athletic and exercise equipment are big businesses indeed. Since everyone has some or other fitness goal, the industry continues to reinvent itself and keeps offering new and ever more interesting ways to lose weight, gain muscle, develop stamina or build core strength.
Creator of anti-gravity fitness Christopher Harrison started to experiment with ceiling silks that acrobatic performers use, to come up with a range of aerial fitness modalities.
Described as a new world of ‘wild and wonderful’ exercise options, this fitness trend consists of devices such as swings, and hammocks suspended from ceilings to offer a non-traditional workout.
The techniques also draw on yoga and Pilates techniques to offer benefits such as easing tight joints, enhancing core strength and flexibility, increased kinesthetic awareness and proprioception and so on. It is also supposed to cause ‘zero spine compression’.
For a while now, this fitness regime has been trying to carve out an identify for itself; one that centres on dance and acrobatics, as distinct from erotic pole dancing practiced in strip clubs. Dedicated pole and dance studios and pole fitness competitions with high levels of difficulty and aesthetics conducted all over the world impart significant legitimacy to this fitness trend.
Practitioners of pole fitness – men as well as women – want it to be represented at the Olympics. As you can see from the video the sport has some stunning difficulty levels and is exceedingly aesthetic; bearing no resemblance to its seamier club cousin.
This is a contact sport consisting of two 5 member teams who skate around a track and try to score points by lapping members of the other team. The aim is to jam the other team while assisting their own. This has emerged as something of a fitness trend for those looking for something different.
Developed from military obstacle course training, this is a sort of non-combative martial art /discipline. It involves jumping, vaulting, swinging, climbing, running, rolling and whatever movement required as per the situation. It seems quite extreme and it’s easy to see that it requires a high level of fitness and physical strength.
This exercise form is inspired by ballet and also draws on Pilates and yoga. Yoga straps, resistance bands, weights and exercise balls are also used in the practice of barre. Barre is supposed to reduce stress, build lean muscles, help in weight loss, improve flexibility, and balance.
Clearly some of the fitness disciplines above have very high difficulty levels and could also carry significantly high injury risk. Some such as Barre are criticized for not being vigorous enough to raise heart rates sufficiently enough to induce weight loss. What is common to all however, is that they give us all the opportunity to get up and moving, letting us choose from a wide range of options depending upon age, fitness levels, lifestyle and preferences. What may work for one may not work for others. What one may find challenging the other may not.
Together, different fitness trends offer us a welcome change from the same monotonous gym beat; offering the option to try something new and interesting - something that could help take fitness to the next level. So what if the fad fades after a bit – it would have done someone some good? Besides, there will be a new one along soon.
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